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since 01/02/01

The Last Supper

How many of the Apostles actually partook at the Lord's Evening Meal?
How many of them actually ate the bread and drank the wine?

If you ask any of Jehovah's Witnesses this question, they will invariably answer "Eleven". The reason being is that they are taught that Judas was sent out before Jesus passed the bread and the wine.

*** gt 114  114 The Memorial Supper ***
After Judas leaves, Jesus introduces an entirely new celebration, or commemoration, with his faithful apostles. He takes a loaf, says a prayer of thanks, breaks it, and gives it to them, saying: "Take, eat." He explains: "This means my body which is to be given in your behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me."

*** it-2 268  Lord's Evening Meal ***
It was on the evening before his death that Jesus observed his last Passover meal and afterward instituted the Lord's Evening Meal. Even before the Memorial meal began, the traitorous Judas was sent out, at which time, according to the record, "it was night." (Joh 13:30)

*** w96 4/1 6  Celebrate the Memorial Worthily ***
IT WAS on the evening of Nisan 14, 33 C.E., that Jesus instituted the Memorial. He had just finished observing the Passover celebration with his 12 apostles, so we can be certain of the date. After dismissing the traitor, Judas, Jesus "took a loaf, said a blessing, broke it and gave it to them, and said: 'Take it, this means my body.' And taking a cup, he offered thanks and gave it to them, and they all drank out of it. And he said to them: 'This means my "blood of the covenant," which is to be poured out in behalf of many.'"—Mark 14:22-24.

That's what the Watchtower publications say!
What does the Bible say?

After acknowledging that Judas would be the one to betray Him, what did Jesus do?

*** Rbi8  Matthew 26:24-26 ***
 25 By way of reply Judas, who was about to betray him, said: "It is not I, is it, Rabbi?" He said to him: "You yourself said [it].26 As they continued eating, Jesus took a loaf and, after saying a blessing, he broke it

He continued with the meal..... Judas did not leave at this time!

*** Rbi8  Mark 14:17-22 ***
17 After evening had fallen he came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said: "Truly I say to YOU, One of YOU, who is eating with me, will betray me." 19 They started to be grieved and to say to him one by one: "It is not I, is it?" 20 He said to them: "It is one of the twelve, who is dipping with me into the common bowl. 21 True, the Son of man is going away, just as it is written concerning him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been finer for that man if he had not been born."
22 And as they continued eating, he took a loaf, said a blessing, broke it and gave it to them, and said: "Take it, this means my body.

*** Rbi8  John 13:26 ***
26 Therefore Jesus answered: "It is that one to whom I shall give the morsel that I dip." And so, having dipped the morsel, he took and gave it to Judas,30 Therefore, after he received the morsel, he went out immediately. And it was night.

Again, both the accounts of Mark and John confirm that after acknowledging Judas as His betrayer He continued with the meal. In John's account, the one the Society uses to make their point, it states that John left after he had received the morsel. Not only that, when they entered the house for the meal it was evening. When Judas went out it was night.........obviously a period of time had elapsed, presumably whilst they were having this meal.

The Conclusive Evidence

The account of Luke offers the final and conclusive proof that Judas was in fact present at the sharing of the bread and the wine, and therefore, would have partaken!

*** Rbi8  Luke 22:19-21 ***
19 Also, he took a loaf, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying: "This means my body which is to be given in YOUR behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me." 20 Also, the cup in the same way after they had the evening meal, he saying: "This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured out in YOUR behalf.
21 "But, look! the hand of my betrayer is with me at the table. (bold italics mine)

Luke's account categorically states that Jesus said his betrayer, Judas, was still at the table with Him after the passing around of the bread and wine!

Why has the Watchtower Society deliberately misled people about the Lord's Evening Meal?

It would seem it is all to do with the Society's interpretation of the meaning of the Last Supper and who is supposed to partake of the Emblems.

*** it-2 269-70  Lord's Evening Meal ***
Partakers of the meal, in eating the bread and drinking the wine, acknowledge that they are sharers together in Christ, in complete unity. The apostle Paul says: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of the Christ? The loaf which we break, is it not a sharing in the body of the Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, although many, are one body, for we are all partaking of that one loaf."—1Co 10:16, 17.

In thus partaking, these indicate that they are in the new covenant and are receiving the benefits of it, that is, God's forgiveness of sins through Christ's blood. They properly esteem the value of "the blood of the covenant" by which they are sanctified. (Heb 10:29) The Scriptures call them "ministers of a new covenant," serving its ends. (2Co 3:5, 6) And they fittingly partake of the emblematic loaf because they can say: "By the said 'will' we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time." (Heb 10:10) They share in Christ's sufferings and in a death like his, a death of integrity. They hope to share in "the likeness of his resurrection," a resurrection to immortal life in a spiritual body.—Ro 6:3-5.

The Society believes that only the Remnant of the 144,000 still alive on earth today should partake of these emblems, and that such participation identifies them as having been "sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time."

To acknowledge that Judas also partook of those same emblems at the Last Supper gives the Society some serious problems with their doctrines.

Updated 17/04/01

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